Dedication
by Sara60691
Summary: This is a story I wrote for Memorial Day but I just couldn't stay away from my usual fluffy style of writing when it comes to writing Jo/Zane fics. Please read and enjoy.


A/N: For Memorial Day i wanted to write something special. I'm dedicating this to my Uncle Peter Kayros who served in Vietman and who just passed away last year. He will always be remembered and loved. I hope everyone who reads this takes a moment and thinks about the people in your life and really appreciate what they mean to you.

* * *

Jo had been acting increasingly weird for the past few weeks and I had no clue why. It was driving me nuts not knowing what was going on in that head of hers. I knew I should be patient and wait for her to tell me when she was ready. It was the least she deserved from me after all the shit I make her go through, but it was bugging the hell out of me. Thinking back to when her strange behavior started, it was right around the time that the major-disaster-drill-turned-real-thing happened. Was she still mad about me lying to her? I really hope not. If there was one thing I had learned about the new Jo Lupo it was that she knew how to give as good as she got and then some.

"Zane? Zane are you listening?" Jo's voice snapped me from my thoughts, causing me to drop the circuit board I had been holding. I cursed, fumbling to catch it before turning to face my girlfriend.

"Sorry Jojo, what were you saying?" I asked, setting the circuitry down carefully and turning to face her. She gave me an odd look, probably wondering why I hadn't been listening.

"I was saying that we should probably talk this weekend. Neither of us have really had time off and I think we could really use it," she told me, choosing to ignore my behavior in favor of giving me a small mischievous smile. I grinned right back, loving when she smiled at me like that. That particular expression meant good things in my future.

"Sure, just name where and when," I answered.

"My house, Friday. You're bringing the food," she told me, already turning for the door. She pause just as she was about to leave, leveling a serious look at me, "And don't get anything weird. I know you love those cheese stuffed olives but some things are just too strange." I chuckled at the comment on my eating habits.

"You got it sweetheart," I told her, giving her a lazy salute. She rolled her eyes, but ducked out of my lab without comment. As she left, the grin slipped from my face. Whenever a woman told me we needed to talk, it didn't bode well for me, not that I usually cared much. But with Jo, I really didn't want this talk to involve the dreaded "you're great, but I just don't think we're right for each other" line. Maybe she was finally going to tell me what was going on with her. I had been patient and given her time but the suspense was killing me. Now that I had the deadline of Friday, two days from now, I would be a little less lost in my speculation.

Two days later I found myself standing on Jo's doorstep, take out containers in hand. Shifting my weight nervously from one foot to the other, I waited for her to answer the door, wondering where she was when I was still standing outside five minutes later. She should be home, her car was in the driveway, and even if she did step out she would've been home with time to spare since she knew I was coming over. Getting slightly worried, I let myself in, finding the house eerily quiet. I wandered upstairs after putting the food away, hearing noise coming from the end of the hall where Jo's bedroom was.

"Jojo?" I called quietly, pushing her door open. What I found made my heart lodge in my throat. Jo Lupo was sitting on the edge of her bed, looking down at some photo album, tears streaming down her face while some sad song played from her portable speakers.

"Jo?" I called again, unsure how she would react to me finding her in such a state. I don't know how we were in the other time line, but I'm pretty sure she did not like me or anyone else seeing her in a state of weakness. She startled at the sound of my voice, looking up at me with wide brown eyes.

"Zane…you're early," she mumbled, trying to wipe away her tears. I strode over quickly, sitting down next to her and pulling her into a comforting hug. I didn't care if she hated being comforted or not, I just wanted to do something to make her feel better again. Surprisingly enough Jo stayed in my arms for a few minutes before easing away. She managed to give me a shaky smile before getting up to turn off her music.

"Care to tell me what the water works are for Jojo?" I asked gently. She let out a short bark of laughter, falling down next to me on the bed, dragging me to lay down with her. Lupo curled herself into my side and remained quiet for so long I thought my head would explode if I didn't get an answer soon.

"I've told you about my time in the…army, right?" she whispered finally.

"As much as you could," I responded.

"Well, after the incident with the drill turned real, I got a call…" she trailed off, not sure what to say next.

"A call from whom?"

"A local association for veterans based in Portland. They were looking up veterans in the area and found me. They asked if I would speak at a Memorial Day service they were holding," she finally explained.

"Is this what has you so upset? What did you tell them?" I asked, intensely curious. I knew Jo loved her country and had a great respect for the men and women who were and are in the service. She wasn't very comfortable speaking about her own experiences though, or making public speeches about people who lost their lives in the military.

"I told them I might, depending on my job…and it's not exactly this that has me so…worked up," she muttered, blushing a little at the mention of her crying.

"Then what's wrong Jojo? You know you can tell me anything," I encouraged, twisting my hand between the two of us to twine my fingers with hers. She gave me a small smile before taking another deep breath.

"Just, I was thinking of what I would say if I was to make a speech and that got me thinking of my own time serving. I pulled out my old photo album and was looking at all the pictures of the guys I served with. A lot of them are dead. It's hard sometimes, you know? Out of all the people in the unit, I was one of the few to make it. I was the one that survived. I wonder sometimes if that somehow makes me better than them or whether it was sheer luck that I'm here today…" I think her rambling would've gone on forever if I hadn't pressed my lips to hers, silencing her with a kiss. I wasn't about to let my girlfriend talk her way into survivor's guilt.

"Jojo, I don't know the answer to that. I don't know if you happened to have more skill or whether you were just in the right place at the right time. All that matters to me is that you're here and you're unharmed," I told her, making sure she was looking me in the eye so she knew I was serious. She gave me a sad smile, raising our linked hands to brush a kiss across my knuckles.

"I love you," she whispered after a moment. I grinned at her words, feeling a pleasant warmth spread through my chest when I heard her say that.

"Love you too Jojo," I answered, happy to see her smile a true happy smile. There was another silence in which I sensed she wanted to say something. I waited for her to find the right words, busying myself in the meantime by playing with her hair which she had been leaving loose lately.

"Zane?"

"Hmm?"

"Will you come with me? To the service I mean…" she asked tentatively. I looked down at her, watching her squirm a bit before smirking.

"Of course Jojo, wouldn't miss it for the world," I finally told her. She grinned back at me, getting up and pulling me with her as she headed downstairs.

"Good…now I'm starving. What did you get for food?" she asked, sounding eager. I just laughed, catching up and wrapping my arm around her waist as we continued our journey to the kitchen.

* * *

The following Monday I found myself standing in one of the veteran cemeteries in Portland. Jo was next to me, in her formal military outfit, nervously wringing her hands as she waited for her turn to speak. Reaching over, I took one of her hands, lacing our fingers together. She shot me a nervous smile before turning to listen to the person who was talking now. The person stepped down after another minute and the organizer of the event introduced Jo. I listened to her take a calming breath and felt her give my hand a squeeze before she let go and took the stage.

"Hello, I'm Jo Lupo formerly of the Army Rangers," she paused, shifting nervously as if unsure what to say, "today is to honor those who have served and are serving our country in the military and recognize the sacrifices they make. All throughout my life I've seen my uncles, my father, my brothers, and my friends serve proudly. What you don't realize when you join the military however is what you risk sacrificing. I and all the other veterans, I'm sure, will tell you that serving your nation is one of the greatest honors you could have. When you first join you don't think about the people you will meet. Your unit becomes your family. You live together, travel together, fight together…you also share the pain of loss together. Today isn't just for those who are still here to share their stories. Today is for those who couldn't be here, those who gave their lives for their country. They are the ones who truly gave their all and then some and I'm proud to say I served beside some of those people. You can't imagine how difficult it is to put into words how it feels to have known these military personnel and shared their experiences. My uncle, who was a specialist during Vietnam, used to tell me 'remember and honor the past, relish in the present, and look forward to the future'. I try to live by his words and I hope you will too. Thank you, truly, to those who served and are serving this country," She finished, stepping down from the stage.

"That was great Jojo," I whispered to her. She gave a small smile but didn't say anything, just took my hand again.

* * *

Later that night found me and Jo curled up on her couch, looking at an old photo album. When we had gotten back from the memorial service Jo and I had immediately changed from our formal clothes into sweats and she had pulled out the book.

"Is that your uncle?" I asked, my attention caught by a picture of a young Lupo and an older man standing on the end of a dock, fishing poles in hand. The woman next to me smiled softly.

"Yes. He was a great man. He was a teletype repairman specialist during Vietnam. He actually requested to go there because he wanted to see that part of the world. He was always travelling and he loved seeing different parts of the world. Years later he was diagnosed with cancer…caused by Agent Orange. It took years for the government to actually admit that his medical issues were caused by the stuff. The doctors guessed he maybe had six months to a year to live when he first got diagnosed. He lived well over ten years but passed away when I was in college. He was a great man," she told me, tears rolling down her face. I wrapped an arm around her, pulling her into a hug.

"I'm sure he was Jojo, especially if he was related to you."

"I miss him," she sighed, closing the book.

"I wish I could've met him," I said to her. She nodded, getting up and pulling me with her.

"I just want to put this day behind me now. I've said all I've needed to today and now I'm ready for tomorrow and whatever Eureka disaster comes next," she told me. I felt a smile tug at the corner of my lips as my girlfriend pulled me down into bed. We lay in silence for a moment, each lost in our own thoughts. I was just about to fall asleep when the woman next to me turned in my arms, facing me.

"I love you Zane," I heard Jo whisper. I was shocked into silence for so long that she started to squirm when I didn't answer back. Whenever Jo had said those words to me before, it always felt to me like she was saying them from habit, or because she felt she had to. This time I really felt like she meant them.

"I love you too," I replied finally. She sighed, still finally and I could only imagine the pleased smile that was on her face. Laying there with me girlfriend, thinking about the rough day she had and the words she said, I couldn't help but be thankful that she was here for this Memorial Day, that she had been here to make that speech, and that she wasn't one of the soldiers that were missed on this day. I may not seem like it, but I was grateful to those who gave their lives and protected the country I called home and I always would be.


End file.
